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 Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 8:43 pm
Just so this all doesn't get lost in the main thread... and so I can have a poll for those too lazy to type their answer. XP Here's the link to the pics in case you've forgotten/haven't seen them yet: http://hookedonplushies.deviantart.com/art/Crochet-Cousins-148374026 So, I'm looking at this for pricing for these guys. Of course, since they're custom and I won't make them until you give me the money (so I can actually go buy the yarn and stuff...), it would take around 2-3 weeks before you'd get it. XD Base price: $75 Additional features (for example: wings, tails, extra limbs, odd noses, armor, horns, tentacles, etc)**: +$5 each Shipping: (This is what it would cost me to ship to you... check the USPS website if you don't believe me...) Within US: $11
Canada/Mexico: $25
Other countries: $30
**Exception: 'Naga' kids (those with no legs and just a tail would not be charged for the tail, as it replaces the legs)What do you guys think? There's the poll if you want to remain anonymous. (Or are just lazy. XD)
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 9:04 am
Hmm... so far everyone's going with the too expensive vote... *is the one vote for charge more because... she forgot to make one for herself*
What would you guys pay? *was told to charge $75* ^^"
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 12:05 pm
I would honestly start out at $25, because you have to think about those of us who really don't make that much money - I work at about $8 an hour, so buying one of these is about a day and a half's worth of work if you keep it at 75. It really wouldn't be worth it to me. Not cost effective at all. :/
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 1:17 pm
Hmm... but it costs me $20 for supplies. And it takes me about a week to make one. They're not super simple or anything.
Pricing crocheted stuff is hard. I've seen 8" plushies (not custom, just premade) go for anywhere from $15 to $25. These are 13.5", so quite a bit bigger. Not much out there for this size.
I could probably go down to $50, but get much lower than that and it's not really worth my time to make them.
I'd like to make a smaller version eventually, but I'm too lazy atm to figure out an entirely new pattern...
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 4:48 pm
I wouldn't pay that much, personally.
Although my suggestion is that you should charge as little as you are willing to make, and no less. If that means $50, then it's $50. If that means $65, then it means $65. How much is your time worth to you? (You don't need to answer that to me, but to yourself.)
I feel really mean saying what I'm about to say. gonk But being mean is not my intent at all.
The trouble, I think, is that as adorable as those things are, they look very... unrefined. They look like glorified sock puppets, no matter how expensive the materials, and how difficult it is to make them.
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 7:30 pm
Hrm... unrefined how? I don't really see where you're coming from, but that could be due to me being a bit proud of my first pattern. I modified it some after finishing Ala, so Aysel is a bit different (and more like what I was originally aiming for). So if you're looking at Ala (since she's probably the easier to see from her angle in the pictures), the head is narrower as is the body.
I probably should've put a nose on Aysel, but I was rushing to get her done before Tara showed up. XD I was hoping to make her wings a bit bigger too, but I was drafting those after a night of no sleep, so I was happy they at least looked like the wings. XDD
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 11:51 pm
One bit of advice I'll give you that helps my family out a lot: Garage Sales. XD
Seriously. We found a whole small BOX of crocheting and knitting needles for about $5, and there were about 50 needles in the box. Also, I quilt a lot, and we went to an estate sale - got about three to five large bags full of fabric for $75, which you can't GET when you go to a fabric store. I know I've spotted a lot of yarn for sale at garage sales as well - they may not be the right color you want, but you can get a good deal for them, and you never know, you may use the color in the future. heart
So that might save YOU a bit of money, in the long run, since you said you're paying a lot for supplies right now as it is. heart
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 6:24 am
The only problem with that, is sometimes I end up with small sections of the yarn. Plus, it doesn't help for needing a certain color right then. Then there's the button eyes and stuffing and pellets that also contribute to the price. *shrugs*
*goes to reset the poll*
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 3:46 pm
I think the trouble is that you'd have to invest to get money off of this. when you make one, you're going to have leftover supplies, right? especially with buttons, you can get bags of them fairly cheap.
So perhaps if you said "these are the colors I have right now, choose from them, if you want a closer match you'll have to pay the cost of the new yarn" that would cut back on the cost of supplies.
Also, I think along the same lines of what toho was trying to say is that you can kind of tell these are your prototypes. I think its amazing you made your own patterns, etcetc, but they could still use a little work. Like you said, Ala's head... I also think the arms are maybe a little long? The bodies a little too round... It also doesn't help the mind when you see a naked doll xD
To compare:
http://sherricrochets.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_21&products_id=123
http://sherricrochets.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_21&products_id=122
These guys are both 12" which is closer to your 13"
The heads are bigger than the body, the bodies are more rectangular, or oval shaped, but not as wide or wider than the head. The arms are shorter, and thinner, with more distinctive circles at the ends for hands and feet.
So, purely from a marketing perspective-- the human mind responds best to cute. take mickey mouse for example... http://www.omniology.com/MickeyMicro-Evolution.jpg
when he started out, he had tiny eyes, a pointy nose, long thin arms, and tiny hands and feet and a head that was more proportionate to his body. Over time, they made changes and found the type that sold the best-- short nose, big eyes, big head, short arms, and big hands and feet... These are the traits that get the human mind to respond instinctively "Oh cute!" (Think chibis, too)
For plushies, the things that sell the best are things that have these features! I know this from my bajillion psych classes xD Because it appeals to the parental center of the brain...
But that's not to say yours arn't good, and that you're not skilled-- its easy to see that you are... so I think just some minor tweaks to your original pattern to bring out "cute" in these would help you sell them...
And back to the price... By cutting your price down by using yarns you already have, and charging extra if you have to go get new ones, you can also use the money you make to get yarn from garage sales and keep it around.
Say your standard price is 3 dollars for yarn supplies
full price of the yarn if you have to get more (then whats leftover you use for the 3 dollar standard), so say 10dollars
then you also get 1 dollar yarn at some garage sale, then make 3 dollars off it... that's a 2 dollar profit you get to just keep, or invest in new yarns, which will sell more.
Then you charge what you want to be paid for a weeks worth of work, and add it onto any of the prices.
... I hope that made sense. xD
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 8:59 pm
Yeah, I made the body a bit narrower when I made Aysel. (Ala's a chubby~) The arms will probably get narrower, that's easy to change. Might tweak the torso again.
The only problem is, my yarn supply is not very large. I have some yarn, but most of it is dedicated to other projects. I don't get yarn at yard sales very often (in fact, rather rarely... especially this time of year!) and so I'm usually having to pay full price for it at the store. Occasionally it goes on sale, but with no idea of which kids would be requested next, I wouldn't want to spend $100 on all sorts of different colors of yarn... Hence me having to calculate in the price of yarn for the kids. Buttons, yeah, I can get some in bags, but I live in a little town, so I'm kinda limited on what's available and for some colors, you can only get a card of 4 or 6 (I checked... Aysel's eyes were some of those.)
The only other thing I can think of is to, instead of having it set up like I do now as far as pricing, is to charge X amount per color. But, if you think about it, most of the D-corp kids have at least 3 colors in them. (Some exceptions, but in general...) so I was calculating for buying 3 colors of yarn. On average, I pay $3-4 dollars per color of yarn, unless it's a color not available in the cheap yarn.
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 10:45 pm
If you don't have anything currently, then set it up where most people will have to buy new colors.
Also My suggestion for the eyes... maybe make it a standard to have black buttons, which you can buy in bulk, and if people want specific colors to charge extra for those. xD then thats yanno, an extra 5 for special color buttons and having to go out and get them.
So that leaves it to 4x3=12 dollars supplies for yarn, and say a dollar for buttons (Which is a profit there too, since you're getting bulk)
Then that's only 13 dollars plus your price for time. then say 37$ for your time, total only 40 dollars. or 47$ for your time, 50$ total price.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 12:39 pm
http://hookedonplushies.deviantart.com/art/Crochet-One-legged-Troll-151851835
What do you guys think? Like this pattern version better? A little smaller than the first two, but still 11" tall when standing (if she could!). Slightly quicker work-up for me, but not by much. The body is smaller, but those limbs take more control, being so small! o.o
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Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 4:37 pm
I like it! She's adorable xD poor one-legged troll... You should find her a pegleg! I really like the tight-knitting, and the design looks very huggable >w< I would probably pay the 50 for a custom like that, more if there were more colors etcetc... I imagine Talia would be quite the costly girl xD get her like.. rainbow yarn~
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